You’ve heard there’s a new ombudsman for landlords and you want to know whether you need to do anything yet. The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 creates a Private Rented Sector Landlord Ombudsman, and membership will be mandatory for every private landlord in England. The scheme is not open yet: the Government's roadmap expects mandatory membership in 2028, once it is confident the service is ready. There is nothing to join today, so do not pay any third party claiming to register you now.
Tenants will be able to escalate complaints for free. The Ombudsman will be able to order apologies, compensation and remedial action. Awards are legally binding and enforceable in the county court.
This guide explains what is known in 2026, what isn't yet, and the three habits that prepare your portfolio for the scheme.
What the Ombudsman will do
- Investigates tenant complaints about landlords (not tenant-vs-tenant)
- Scope covers service standards, compliance, repairs, tenancy management, deposit handling, discrimination
- Will be able to order apologies, compensation and remedial action (no compensation limit has been set yet)
- Awards are legally binding on landlords; enforced via county court if ignored
- Free to tenants to use
The Ombudsman is not a replacement for the courts or the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber). Possession claims go to the county court, and Rent Repayment Orders to the First-tier Tribunal. Once it opens, the Ombudsman is expected to deal with complaints about how you run the tenancy.
Membership: who, when, penalty
- Who: every private landlord in England, including accidental landlords, single BTL owners, portfolio landlords, and agents on behalf of landlords
- When: not open yet; mandatory membership is expected in 2028. (The December 2026 date you may have seen is for the PRS Database, which opens on 15 December 2026.)
- Exemptions: social housing landlords (already covered by the Housing Ombudsman); rent-to-rent operators still being consulted on
- Penalty for failing to join: civil penalty under the RRA regime
Three things landlords should do now (2026)
1. Tighten complaint-handling
The Ombudsman expects you to give the tenant a fair opportunity to complain first. Before escalating, the tenant must:
- Raise the issue with you in writing
- Wait for your formal response
- Only then escalate to the Ombudsman
You need a documented complaint-handling policy. A single-page PDF on your letter-head is fine. It must include:
- Contact email / phone for complaints
- Response target (reply promptly, in writing, and tell the tenant when to expect it)
- Escalation step ("If you remain unsatisfied, you may refer the matter to the Private Rented Sector Landlord Ombudsman once operational")
2. Log every tenancy interaction
The Ombudsman will ask for timelines. "Tenant reported boiler issue on 3 July, contractor attended 5 July, repair completed 8 July" is much stronger than "I think we fixed it quickly".
Use a property management tool (like LetCompliance) or a dated spreadsheet with:
- Date of tenant communication
- Nature of issue
- Action taken and by whom
- Date resolved
- Any compensation or goodwill offered
3. Audit standard response templates
Review every tenant-facing template:
- Deposit refund letter
- Repair-request acknowledgement
- Rent-increase (Section 13) notice
- Pet-request decision letter
- Tenancy-end letter
Remove overly legalistic tone, include plain-English "what happens next" section, and keep a version-controlled copy.
Likely complaint types
| Category | Typical complaint |
|---|---|
| Repairs and disrepair | Boiler, damp and mould, roof leaks |
| Service quality | Unresponsive communication, missed appointments |
| Deposit handling | Unreasonable deductions |
| Tenancy end | Confusion over end-of-tenancy processes |
| Rent increases | Disproportionate S.13 increase without justification |
| Pet requests | Refusals without written reasons, missed 28-day window |
| Discrimination | "No DSS" legacy wording |
Damp and mould cases are expected to dominate early casework. Awaab's Law is expected to reach the PRS in the same wave of reform, though its private-sector regulations have not been made yet. See the Awaab's Law guide.
What a complaint is likely to look like
- 1Tenant raises issue with you (email, letter, text)
- 2You acknowledge within ~48 hours
- 3You investigate and respond promptly, in writing
- 4If tenant dissatisfied, they escalate to the Ombudsman via online form
- 5Expect to be asked for evidence by the Ombudsman, with a deadline to send it
- 6Decision issued (the scheme's timescales haven't been published)
- 7Remedy: apology, compensation, compliance action
- 8Enforcement via county court if you don't comply
FAQs
Do I need to join the Ombudsman as soon as it launches?
Yes, once the membership requirement commences. The roadmap expects that in 2028. It is not open today, so there is nothing to join yet; watch GOV.UK for the commencement date and sign up promptly when it becomes mandatory.
What's the membership fee?
Not set yet. The fee will be confirmed before membership becomes mandatory, so check GOV.UK rather than relying on any figure you see quoted.
Can tenants sue me through the Ombudsman and separately in court?
The Ombudsman operates alongside courts, not in place of them. Tenants typically cannot double-recover for the same loss. The Ombudsman is usually the first step.
Does the Ombudsman cover my letting agent's behaviour?
Letting agents are separately required to be members of either The Property Ombudsman or Property Redress Scheme under existing legislation. The new Landlord Ombudsman is an additional route specifically against landlords.
Are decisions published?
Anonymised case decisions are likely to be published as part of learning from complaints, in the way the Housing Ombudsman does it. Expect your complaint records to become a quasi-public asset.
Where to go next
- Awaab's Law for landlords 2026: damp and mould in the PRS
- Landlord database UK 2026 registration: the other new RRA register
- Renters’ Rights Act landlord checklist: the full compliance list
Get started. Complaints grow out of the day-to-day running of a let, so the record is best kept while the let runs. LetCompliance gives your tenant a free portal to report repairs and send messages, logs each repair with the contractor and the dates, keeps inspections with photos, and stores e-signed documents with timestamped audit certificates. If the Ombudsman ever asks for a timeline, it is already on file in date order.
Sources and scope
- GOV.UK: Renting out a property
- GOV.UK: Your landlord’s safety responsibilities
- HSE: Gas safety in rented properties
Every figure on this page is cited to GOV.UK, legislation.gov.uk or HSE and reviewed against the live source every quarter. This is guidance, not individual legal advice.
After Section 21: Possession Routes Map
Section 21 was abolished on 1 May 2026 and the window to use older notices closed on 31 July 2026. This map takes the reasons landlords served Section 21 and shows the Section 8 ground that fits.
- Your reason for possession matched to a Section 8 ground
- Notice period and the evidence the court will look for
- What bars a possession order, and what no longer does
- The first-year rule and the 12-month re-letting ban for Grounds 1 and 1A
Frequently asked questions
When will the Private Rented Sector Landlord Ombudsman be operational?
Not yet. The government’s implementation roadmap (November 2025) says membership will become mandatory and expects that in 2028. No firm date has been set, so check GOV.UK before relying on one.
Who will have to join the Landlord Ombudsman scheme?
Private landlords in England who let homes on assured or regulated tenancies, whether they manage the let themselves or use an agent, including landlords with a single property. Social landlords already come under the Housing Ombudsman. The detail, including any exemptions, will be set before membership becomes mandatory.
What powers will the Landlord Ombudsman have?
The government has said the ombudsman will be able to require landlords to put things right, including apologising, providing information, taking remedial action or paying compensation. The detail, including any compensation limit, will be set before the scheme opens. It will deal with complaints about the landlord, not possession claims, which stay with the courts.
How can I prepare for the Ombudsman now in 2026?
Three priorities: (1) Documented complaint-handling policy with a clear response time and escalation route; (2) Dated tenancy interaction log (repairs, communications, goodwill actions); (3) Audited response templates (deposit letters, repair acknowledgements, Section 13, pet-request decisions). Software like LetCompliance automates the log side.
